‘Girls,’ Season 2, Episode 10, ‘Together’: TV Recap

ByJosée Rose

HBO

Lena Dunham in “Girls.”

Welcome to the Season 2 Finale of Girls. We’ve watched the characters struggle all season and we finally see where they end up: right back where they started. So do we just go in circles, only to end up back at the very beginning? Is the struggle–and the journey to find a place–necessary? Will the “happiness” these characters found last? Or will they quickly spiral out of control again, hurting and lashing out?

Hannah hears a ringing in her ear thanks to her Q-tip incident. She googles “ruptured ear drum q-tip” and goes onto a website to ask some questions: “do millions of microbes really live on our skin?” and “how does your body know not to stop breathing?” and “at what age does your body start melting down?” Hannah’s state of mind is quite fragile and her OCD isn’t under control. She gets a phone call from her editor David and he’s not pleased. He said it’s becoming clear that Hannah isn’t committed to writing this book; Hannah says she sustained an ear concussion but David doesn’t care. “If you don’t give us the pages then we sue you,” David says. “Can I have some pages, today?!”

“I’m gonna write a whole book in a day,” Hannah sings.

Hannah calls her dad for advice on her ear. But really she wants to discuss her trouble with writing. Hannah needs her dad to lend her the advance money so she can pay David’s company back so “she can restore a little freedom to my process.” Her dad says he feels manipulated and that she makes him look like a fool. So he will not lend her the money.

Marnie and Charlie:

Marnie is having a tough few months: she broke up with Charlie, fell out with Hannah, got fired from her job and got used by Booth. Marnie’s sense of self has severely dissolved. So much so that she’s with Charlie again, first for some sex and then for some brunch. She gives a speech about endpoints — how they have all these experiences so they can settle down, now they’re behind us. Charlie doesn’t understand what she means and isn’t cool with them being “settled down.” Finally Marnie gets it: “we’re not dating?” Marnie says “I never imagined in a million years that you and I would be having casual sex.” She storms off, but storms back to ask “So you really don’t want to date me? Last chance.” He follows her to ask “what are you doing?” She tells him that this has been the worst year of her life. “I want you, I know I’m a mess but I want you. I want to see you every morning and I want to make you a snack every night. And eventually I want to have your little brown babies and I want to watch you die.” Charlie says that’s all he ever wanted and he loves her. “Maybe I’m an idiot for it but I always have. Everything good I try to do I do because of you and I try and get away but I just keep coming back and that’s because I love you.” *Hug* Marnie throws in there that she doesn’t love him for his money because she doesn’t know how much he has. “A lot of money,” Charlie says.

Ray and Shoshanna:

Their relationship has been going downhill the last few episodes (but hasn’t reached the terrible level of Charlie/Marnie, or of Hannah/Adam–yet). While promoting his new film “Good Night” at the South by Southwest festival, Alex Karpovsky, who plays Ray, said the Sesason 2 finale goes “deeper and darker” for the two lovers. However, despite the relationship turmoil, Karpovsky said his character winds up “in a place that’s very moving, surprising, and for (him), very illuminating.” Ray decides it’s finally time to do something with his life (and wants to impress the girlfriend who isn’t that interested in him anymore).

So where do they stand now? They are having sex and Shoshanna isn’t that into it and Ray can’t finish unless Shosh finishes. They are both being weird. “Will you get out of me?” she demands. (Good for her for demanding). Then she blurts out what’s bothering her: “You have no ambition and it’s really weighing on me, your lack of ambition.” Ray isn’t surprised. “Is this a real issue?” he wants to know. Of course it’s a real issue, Ray, of course it is.

So the next day he decides that he wants to finish his PhD — full time — Latin Studies. Latin Studies? What do you do with that? (Is this the same girlfriend that’s shaped like a croissant?). Ray’s boss tells him that Shosh doesn’t want a Latin scholar, she wants someone who can make a lot of money and buy her more purses shaped like bread products. Ray’s boss also tells him that he’s opening another Grumpy’s in Brooklyn Heights. It will be two floors and he wants Ray to build it from the ground up. He says Ray could have a nice living and do what he likes on weekends. Ray says he’s in. His title is “Manager.” Ray demands a more impressive title for Shoshanna. “District Chief Logistics Operations Supervisor.”

But that doesn’t matter to Shoshanna. She’s upset and for her, their relationship isn’t working. But she’s “not exactly” breaking up with him. She loves him to the end of the world and back, but she loves him like how she feels sorry for a monkey who needs help because he’s in an ugly cage. Ray is in denial. Shosh wants him to go to therapy; Ray thinks Shosh met someone else. “There’s nobody else, especially not an adult male blond, you know me better than that!” she screams. “I can’t be surrounded by your negativity while I’m trying to grow into a fully formed human,” she says. “You hate everything! Seriously, you hate everything! You hate the sound of children playing and you hate all your living relatives and you hate people who wear sunglasses, even during the day, and you hate going to dinner, which you know I love, you hate colors, pillows, ribbons, you hate everything. I can’t be the only thing you like. And maybe I can deal with your black soul better when I’m older but I can’t handle it now so maybe you have to go change and then we can be in love in another time.” Ray yells that Shosh needs a change so she can appreciate the difference between negativity and critical thinking. He storms out and slams the door.

Adam and Natalia are having sex but at her place this time. Their sex goes from OK to weird rather quickly because Natalia doesn’t like Adam’s choice of words and she doesn’t like that he’s going too fast. He’s really struggling to meet her needs.

Hannah and Marnie - now that Marnie is happy again with Charlie she has time to check on Hannah. The two have been texting a bit but Marnie hadn’t heard from Hannah for a few days and is worried.Hannah is hiding and won’t see Marnie. “I’m not looking under the bed because that’s ridiculous,” Marnie says. Then she sees what Hannah is writing: “A friendship between college girls in grander and more dramatic than any romance…” She takes something and leaves. That’s sad, Marnie. You reached out a little bit, but not enough. Their friendship is still not repaired and now that Marnie has Charlie, it may never be repaired.

Hannah eats more Cool Whip and rips out a haircut from a magazine and tries to copy it but instead gives herself a hideous haircut. Well, “It’s not that bad,” she says. (Yes it is). She seeks help from Laird, who tries to even out her haircut. “I think I nailed this,” he says with a straight face. Hannah now looks like a 12-year-old boy. “I’m feeling just a little bit frail,” she says and wonders if she looks really thin. Nope, Laird says. Hannah says nobody cares about her anymore. “Laird, I’m so dizzy and nauseous. I don’t feel…” and she lays down and tells Laird to be reasonable because she doesn’t have the strength to fight him off. (He wasn’t making any sexual advance). Laird tells Hannah that she’s the most self-involved, presumptuous person he’s ever met. Yes, he had feelings for her until he realized how rotten her insides were. “I think it’s a pretty dark scene inside your head,” he says.

Later on Hannah calls Jessa and leaves her an angry message. “Where did you go and who am I supposed to talk to if you won’t answer your f___ing phone? That anorexic Marnie? F___ing Shoshanna? My stalker ex-boyfriend? It’s not like any them want to talk to me and I don’t blame them because I cut off all my f___ing hair!” Hannah is having a breakdown. “I hope you’re having a great time!” she screams.

Hannah and Adam

Adam is in his apartment doing some construction work but then decides to do demolition work. He takes a baseball bat and starts smashing everything, yelling “F___ her!” Until he’s stopped by his ringing phone. Who could it be, but Hannah! She Facetime’s him. She tries to make some small talk but he cuts to the chase: “What do you want?” Hannah says she was checking in and wanted to know if he was doing better. Hannah says life is intense and you have to ride it like a pony or you’re going to get a haircut. Adam sees that Hannah isn’t well and sees her OCD act up. “Hannah? Is that still going on? That stuff from high school? That OCDC sh_t?” She tells him that she’s unraveling and she’s really scared. He tells her to stay there, he’s coming. And with no shirt on he runs over to her place (they stay on Facetime the whole time). Do you like the victorious music playing in the background? Also, did you catch Shoshanna making out with a blond adult and Charlie and Marnie going on a grown-up date that Shosh craves so much?

Adam runs all the way up to Hannah’s apartment and bangs on her door. Hannah hides under the covers because she’s scared so Adam breaks down the door. He pulls her comforter off her. “You’re here,” she squeaks. “I was always here,” he says. He picks her up and they kiss.

I hope you enjoyed this season of Girls. Are you surprised about how it ended?

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